Light and fluffy asparagus souffle recipe. Pureed asparagus mixed with bechamel and egg yolks, beaten egg whites folded it, baked to puffy golden deliciousness.
Have you ever attempted to make a soufflé and it just didn’t live up to your expectations?
That’s when it pays to have friends who actually know what they are doing.
After trying unsuccessfully to recreate a fabulous soufflé I enjoyed at a brunch given by Bay Area chef Brett Emerson I broke down and asked him for help.
Thank goodness for talented friends who are generous with their advice! Here are some pointers Brett gave me about soufflés.
Tips to making a soufflé light and fluffy:
- Butter the ramekins thoroughly, then coat with very fine breadcrumbs.
- Use cake flour instead of all purpose flour in the bechamel.
- Use extra egg whites. Whip them to soft peaks that are dancing on the edge of becoming stiff peaks.
- Work quickly and fold with a light touch.
Note that soufflés really are a bit tricky to make; this is not a beginner recipe.
But if you are confident with your egg white whipping and folding skills, you should have no problem with this one.
What I love about Brett’s approach is that you can actually make these soufflés in advance, which is perfect for a brunch gathering or a party in which you want to have most of the cooking done ahead of time.
We ate half of them right out of the oven, and we re-baked the other half for a later meal. Both sets were delicious.
Asparagus Soufflé Recipe
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Yield: Makes 6 individual soufflés
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus spears, bottom ends trimmed and discarded, thick spears peeled, spears cut into 1-inch pieces
- Salt
- 1/4 cup chopped shallots
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup finely ground dry breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons cake flour (can substitute all purpose flour)
- 1 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch dry ground mustard
- Pinch ground cumin
- Pinch ground ginger
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese (can substitute Parmesan, but frankly I prefer the Gruyere)
- 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 5 egg whites
- 6 8-ounce ramekins
Method
1 Blanch the asparagus: Blanch the asparagus for 2 minutes in boiling salted water (1 1/2 teaspoons of salt for every quart of water). Drain. Rinse in cold water to stop cooking. Set aside to let cool.
2 Cook the shallots, garlic, thyme in butter: Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in saucepan on medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme. Cook gently until soft, do not let brown. About 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3 Purée asparagus and shallots: Purée asparagus and shallot together in a blender. Measure out 1 1/4 cup of purée.
4 Prep the ramekins: Butter 6 8-ounce ramekins. Coat well with the breadcrumbs, reserving any leftover bread crumbs.
5 Make a thick béchamel sauce: Over medium-low heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium sized saucepan. Add the cake flour and whisk to completely incorporate the flour into the butter, continue to stir for a couple of minutes. Do not let brown.
Very slowly, add the milk to the mixture, little by little, whisking constantly.
Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the nutmeg, cumin, mustard, ginger, and some fresh ground black pepper.
Lower the heat to low and let cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the mixture from sticking to the pan.
After 15 minutes, remove the béchamel from the heat and stir in the cheese.
6 Make the soufflé base: Combine the béchamel and the asparagus mixture in a large mixing bowl (if you have a mixing bowl with a pour lip on the side, use it, it will make it easier to pour out later). Taste the mixture and adjust the seasonings. The soufflé base should be well-seasoned.
Stir in the egg yolks until well combined.
At this point you can make ahead the soufflé mixture. Refrigerate to store for up to two days. Return to room temperature before proceeding.
7 Preheat oven to 400°F.
8 Prepare to make a water bath (a bain marie). Have ready a 9×12 baking dish with at least 2 inch sides. Put on a kettle of water to boil.
9 Beat the egg whites: Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and using a very clean mixer, beat the egg whites to firm but soft, almost stiff, peaks. (Make sure there are no traces of egg yolk or shell in your egg whites before starting.) Do not over-beat. Over-beating results in stiff peaks that are dry, somewhat reminiscent of styrofoam.
10 Fold egg whites into asparagus mixture: Use a rubber spatula to first fold in one quarter of the beaten egg whites into the asparagus mixture, then the remaining three-quarters. Use a light touch to keep from deflating the egg whites.
11 Fill ramekins, place in bain marie: Fill ramekins with the mixture up to a quarter-inch from the top. If you want, sprinkle leftover breadcrumbs on top.
Place the ramekins in the bain marie baking dish. Place baking dish on the middle rack in the oven.
Pour boiling water into the baking dish around the ramekins until the water comes up halfway the sides of the ramekins.
12 Bake: Bake for 10 minutes at 400°F, reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for about 15 minutes more, until puffed up and golden brown. Don’t open the oven door until the soufflé is just about done, or it may fall.
Make ahead instructions: You can serve the soufflés immediately or you can serve them later. To proceed for serving them later, let the soufflés sit in the bain marie for 15 minutes. Then use run a sharp knife around the edges and invert the individual soufflés to a buttered baking sheet.
Cool to room temperature, wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Return to room temperature before re-baking. Heat oven to 400°F, bake the soufflés on a buttered baking sheet, not in ramekins, for 7-8 minutes, and serve.
